Dragon’s Dogma 2 launches on most platforms on March 22, and I checked it out at a preview occasion in New York Metropolis. In his 2023 hands-on preview of the high-fantasy RPG, Kotaku senior reporter Ethan Gach mentioned that it’s “shaping as much as have all of the instruments essential to develop into the broadly acclaimed hit it deserves to be”—and I completely agree! The factor that bought me on this was a brand new class that successfully turns your character right into a medieval Drive person. Transfer over, Darth Maul; there’s one other double-bladed saber participant on the town.
Learn Extra: Dragon’s Dogma 2 Coming March 2024, Trying Extra Superior Each DayPre-order Dragon’s Dogma 2: Amazon | Greatest Purchase | Humble Bundle
A sequel to Capcom’s cult-fave 2012 action-adventure recreation, Dragon’s Dogma 2 picks up the place its predecessor left off. After getting your coronary heart damaged by a really imply dragon, you enterprise out to—as soon as once more—show that you just’re deserving of affection by killing the beast. You’ll recruit NPC servants often known as Pawns to journey with you, fend off all manners of vicious creatures (like goblins and golems), and full myriad fundamental and facet quests as you uncover the whereabouts of the heart-breaking flying lizard. If this sounds quite a bit like the unique Dragon’s Dogma, properly, it’s, however that’s not a nasty factor. In actual fact, because of a bigger open world and new gameplay mechanics—together with new expertise for the assorted lessons or “vocations”—Dragon’s Dogma 2 actually builds upon what Capcom achieved over a decade in the past. And the 2 new vocations, significantly the twin-blade-wielding Mystic Spearhand, underscore that inventive evolution.
Lifting rocks, throwing schlock in DD2 with magic
The sequel’s Mystic Spearhand is just like the unique recreation’s Mystic Knight in that each vocations focus on magic- and melee-based fight. However that’s the place the similarities finish. The Mystic Spearhand is quicker than the Mystic Knight, in a position to shortly sprint across the battlefield because of its teleportation expertise. It’s additionally acquired a wider vary of spells at its disposal that permit you to buff your allies whereas shelling out huge quantities of injury by yourself, letting the category fill within the roles of “attacker,” “help,” and “tank” concurrently. Additional, the vocation can shoot out blade beams from its duospear and magic bolts from its fingertips, in addition to twirl its weapon in a sorta figure-8 movement to swiftly rack up the ache it offers. This class feels incredible, particularly while you’re zipping from enemy to enemy, utilizing your twin-bladed weapon as a blender and lobbing spells to regulate the sector.
However what actually bought me was the flexibility to carry enemies and objects off the bottom utilizing magic. By holding down one of many shoulder buttons, you’ll be able to deliver up a separate menu of expertise in the course of fight. One generates a teal-colored ball that suspends objects within the air. So, if you happen to needed to toss that rock towards a chimera you’re combating, you are able to do that. Equally, if you happen to simply killed a wolf and needed to make use of its physique as throwable fodder, you are able to do that, too.
I wasn’t in a position to check it on heavier foes, like cyclopes and ogres, and it undoubtedly doesn’t work on bigger enemies, reminiscent of dragons and griffins. Nevertheless, the flexibility to carry and throw nearly any small-to-medium-sized factor in your neighborhood opens up a litany of choices in the case of combos and injury dealing. Couple this with the Mystic Spearhand’s talents to paralyze goons, shoot magic from its fingers, immediately teleport to the opposition, and swing its duospear in acrobatic vogue, and I couldn’t assist however suppose I used to be the embodiment of some kinda historical Darth Maul or like an ancestor to the long-lasting Sith warrior. It guidelines. And now that Dragon’s Dogma 2 has blown up my fave vocation from the primary recreation, the Strider, I’m sure I’ve discovered the brand new class I’m going to fundamental when the sport drops.
Learn Extra: Dragon’s Dogma 2 Joins A Divisive Gaming Development
Whereas I’ll admit that my three-hour play session was plagued with some frame-rate points, significantly when roaming the densely packed cities, Dragon’s Dogma 2 continues to be trying actual good. The environments are richly detailed, the characters are expertly written and voiced, the fight is satisfyingly crunchy, and the enemies are violently sensible. Every thing that made the unique Dragon’s Dogma so good appears to be dialed as much as 11 right here, and I can’t wait to see how the story unfolds when Dragon’s Dogma 2 hits PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Collection X/S on March 22.
